Castaway
by Drop of Grace
Summary: I've never felt included. I can't remember most of my life, and I've been alone for the parts I do remember. Even when I join this crazy camp for kids who are supposed to be like me, I still feel like this isn't where I belong. Hopefully, I'll find my place. but with my luck, I'll probably end up on the streets again...
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello, all you people who are reading this right now!**_

_**Ok, down to the point- I haven't been on Fanfiction, I know. Sorry. I'm going to start this new story, so I hope it's good, and that you like it. If you want to see some of my old stories, I've got them around somwhere, and you can just leave them in the reviews.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or anything else in this story besides the Oc's and the plot. The rest go to Riordan...**_

For the last three years of my life that I remember, I'd been hiding on the streets. I don't have a family, and there was the eternal fear that I was going to get caught and sent to Social Services.

I always have the feeling that I still had parents, but I just didn't know where, exactly.

Anyway, I'm sitting in the library, reading, and I get the strangest feeling I am being watched. I don't know about other people, but I get that sometimes.

"What'cha reading?"

Startled, I look up, hands balled into fists. I'm on my feet instantly, adrenaline coursing through my body.

"Whoa," the speaker takes a step back, "easy."

I lift an eyebrow, but relax. Taking a deep breath, I force my surprise under a mask of indifference. It's a comfort, to be emotionless, like a habit to fall back on. I study the boy. He's taller than me by a few inches, with wild, curly black hair and a joking grin in place. Probably my age.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"Leo Valdez," he says, sweeping a mock bow, "At your service. And your name?"

"Gracelyn?" It comes out as a question.

"You sure?"He teases.

"Sometimes I'm not."

A look passes over his face, like he understands, but I doubt some random guy would understand. It's not so much as an identity crisis, as much as I just couldn't, point blank, remember much past the recent three years of my life. I hated the helpless feeling of confusion, but after skirting around it for a while, it became an ever present feeling that I eventually became comfortable with.

"Listen, Gracelyn," he says, "I don't know how you survived this long without being eaten by monsters, but-"

"Wait a second," I stop him, mind reeling, "are you feeling ok?"

"Yes, I'm serious, monsters. Don't tell me that you don't know who you are. You're the same age as me! By thirteen monsters can smell you, because you're supposed to have been claimed by then!" The look on his face is incredulous.

"What are you talking about?" I sorely hope he isn't crazy. "Maybe you're talking to the wrong person...?"

"No, you're a demigod!" he says, voice low, and surprised. "You didn't know? Demigods are children of a mortal and a Greek or Roman god. You're one of them."

"Um..." I edge away from him, towards the door in my periphery. "Maybe you should go see a doctor."

Leo Valdez looks frustrated, then spots something out the window and suddenly looks grim. "Do you get the feeling that you're parents are still around? Not gone, like it seems?"

"Yeah." He has my attention now. How does he know I don't have parents?

"Come with me..." he says, now grabbing my arm and pulling me out the door.

Behind us, there's an explosion in the library.

"Oh well," I mutter, as he lets go of my arm. "Follow the crazy kid, ask questions later."

I run after him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed... so thanks to about two people... **

So I follow this Leo Valdez guy to a camp nearby. And it's quite the camp. People trained with swords, climbed a lava rock wall, and wore funny armor. But for some reason, I'm not really impressed. It's a strange feeling, knowing how weird everything is, but not really reacting. Like I've been here before, but I don't remember.

Immediately, a girl with blond hair and steel grey eyes comes up to me. She's a few years older than me, and a head taller than me.

"I'm Annabeth Chase." She says, and I study her. Leo is cautious around her, so I guess she's not as friendly as he is. I can tell she spends a lot of time training, and she's definitely smart. Her whole posture screams bossiness, and that she expects to be obeyed.

"Gracelyn." I say shortly. She studies me, as I study her, and I feel like we're sizing each other up for a fight. It's not an unfamiliar feeling, but I can tell that if we did ever get into a fight, I'd have to fight pretty hard. Not like the wimps who come to challenge others who are better than them.

"You know," Leo remarks, "kids who come to camp are usually full of questions."

"What is there to ask?" I glance around, then shrug. "I've seen weirder."

"We were chased by a monster," Leo comments, and Annabeth frowns.

"A monster could sense just two demigods?" she says skeptically, "They have a hard time finding three."

Both Leo and I shrug at the same time. I don't really know what these monsters are, and nor do I care. Right now, I am really hungry. Hunger isn't something I usually notice immediately, it sneaks up on me, and then I feel like I could eat a ton of food.

"Do you have food here?" I ask, knowing the answer is yes, but just wanting to eat, and then sort everything out.

"Yeah," Annabeth says, and leads me to "the Pavillion" which is framed in Greek columns.

"Corinthian Columns?" I comment, "cool."

Annabeth looks surprised. "You know? Not a lot of people here pay attention to the architecture." Then she smiles, "I'm a little obsessed with architecture. All children of Athena are."

"You're a child of Athena?" I ask. I wonder who my godly parent is. As if reading my mind, Annabeth smiles again.

"You should be claimed sooner or later. Then you'll know who your godly parent is." She gestures at the Pavilion, explains that I can eat anything I want, shows me how to get food. Apparently, everyone here has to burn some of their food for their godly parent. I'm definitely not going to be able to do that.

I wolf down an egg sandwich, and then drink a glass of milk. Annabeth starts to give me a tour of the camp.

"You already know the Pavilion, the training areas are here, and those are the cabins. You'll sleep in the Hermes cabin until you're claimed," she says, showing me each of the places. "You'll need to get a weapon from over there, and that's the Forest. It's full of monsters to fight, if you want. Don't worry, they don't come into the camp."

She brings me to a shack that looks like it might hold garden tools, but when she opens the doors, there are weapons. Swords, bows, spears, etc.

This camp is full of weird things, aren't they?


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hi again! **_

_**In response to **__** , this story is supposed to take place after the Blood of the Olympians... Sorry for not specifying sooner. Anyway, onto the Disclaimer...**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO... Lucky Riordan.**_

Once inside the shed-turned-armory, I look at the many weapons, looking at them, but also the things around them.

I have synesthesia, a neurological disorder, where one sense triggers another. For me, sound, touch, and sight trigger colors. Emotions sometimes, too.

I'd never encountered something like this. Some weapons give off a type of aura of their own, emanating a glow of color, and feel too. For a second, I'm standing still, a little dazed in the center of the shed, then I shake myself. Annabeth is talking.

"Choose a weapon," she prompts, gesturing to the weapons. "You'll have to stick with it for the rest of your life."

There were so many options. I gloss over the big, fancy ones, doubting whether I could even lift them. Then my eyes land on two slender swords, lying crossed over each other. they don't look Greek, like the rest of the weapons- and they give off a multi-colored light, like they can't decide what they are.

"Are these French?" I ask, pulling it out of the sheath. "They don't look like the rest of the Greek swords here."

"Honestly," Annabeth shrugs, "no one knows. Most of these weapons are a mystery. Some have special capabilities. Some don't. They look like a good weapons, though. Do you want them?"

"Yeah," I make a split second decision. "Sure." I lift both of them from the ground, and then leave the weapon shed quickly. I was getting a headache from all of the crazy colors and auras. After a moment, I get both sheaths looped onto my jeans. They're light, and short.

"You'll have to learn how to-" I cut Annabeth off by pulling both swords out at the same time. They elongate, and get bigger, all without getting heavier. For a moment, I glimpse a faint indigo glow along their edges, then it's gone. I'm surprised to find how easily I can handle them- I twirl them in my hands, then push them back into their sheaths. They shrink to fit, and I glance back up at Annabeth.

"How to use them?" I finish her sentence, for once enjoying being the one to stand out. Then I get my emotionless mask back on- the one I use a lot. I lift an eyebrow.

"Yeah." Annabeth regains her composure. "Have you used these before?"

"No." I shy away from a couple curious passerby's, and zip up my hoodie- black, because along with my dark hair, it wards off unwanted people. Somehow, it gives them the accurate impression that I don't want them to linger nearby. Then for no reason, I shiver. Since when did I feel cold?

"You're cold?" Annabeth sounds surprised. "It's July."

"I'm not really cold," I say, lying, "just a little." Even to me, that sounds false. Annabeth doesn't comment.

"Well, that's Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. There was a promise that Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades made, and they all broke the promise. Over there- that's Nico DiAngelo. He's the son of-"

"Hades." I interrupt. "Yeah, I can tell."

Nico DiAngelo is definitely my age, but he seems older, like he's seen a lot of stuff that other people don't want to see. He has black hair, dark, shadowed eyes, and looks gaunt. I'm not sure if he just happened to look over, but he suddenly is looking me straight in the eye. I'm definitely not going to be the first to look away- some part of me is stubborn, and refuses.

"Hey, Gracelyn!" Leo come over, breaks the staring contest, and I look up. "Got your weapon already? Or should I say, weapons? Nice."

Annabeth puts a hand on my shoulder, and I jump, shrugging her off. Physical contact with people tends to trigger very distracting and vibrant colors. When Leo grabbed my by the arm, I saw a bunch of red and orange spirals across my vision.

For a second, the headache I'd gotten grows worse, until the ground seems to sway beneath me. Then I take a deep breath. "Sorry. I'm sorry." But I take a step away from both Leo and Annabeth. All the colors around me seem to be screaming in my face, and I blink at them a few times before running into the woods. I can hear voices yelling at me, but they're blurred in with the reset of the sounds and color rushing past me.

I'm still a castaway- even if there's no ship, no water, no island, I still feel like I'm living on my own isolated world, away from other people.


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Percy Jackson &** co...

I only remember that there are monsters in this forest, when I emerge in a clearing. It's grassy, and there aren't any trees. An enormous rock sits in the center, and I lean against it, my head spinning. After the headache fades, I look around. It's just trees, and grass. No monsters. I wonder if Annabeth just said that to psych me out.

I pull out both of my swords, staring at them. They have a shimmer of blue and indigo along the metal, and I touch the tip of a sword, then drop it. A clean cut opens along my pointer finger. It's not deep, but it stings. I stick it into my mouth, on habit, then pull it out when I realize I just stuck it in my mouth.

For a moment, I think the cut is glowing, then I shake my head and put my hand down. It'll go away soon. I turn my attention back to my swords. They're now about half my height, and growing. When they reach three quarters of my height, they stop growing. They're a little more slender than before, and flexible. I give them an experimental slash, wondering how I'm supposed to use both at the same time, and where they came from.

"Gracelyn?" I turn as Annabeth appears. "Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah," I push my swords back into their sheaths. "I, um, I have synesthesia." I don't know why I hate talking about synesthesia, it's always awkward for me.

"Really?" She looks confused. "You don't mean dyslexia? Most demigods have dyslexia and ADHD, because we're used to reading Greek, and we're wired for battle."

"No, I mean synesthesia. I can read just fine."

"That's actually really unusual. Maybe it won't be, after you get claimed."

"Don't people usually get claimed at thirteen?" I ask, remembering what Leo had said. "I'm fifteen."

"Maybe you have been claimed, but then you never went to camp." She tries to reason it out. "But then, after two years, you should have been eaten by monsters. They can sense you after you've been claimed."

"Maybe I'm not a demigod?"

Annabeth looks startled at this suggestion. It never occurred to her.

"How did you know to come for me?" I press.

"Chiron said..." She frowns, "it isn't the first time he's hidden something from us. But if he wanted you to come to camp, you must be a demigod."

"Isn't Chiron a centaur?"

"Yeah," Annabeth is suddenly distracted with the question of why I'm even here. "C'mon. We'll go talk to him."

When we get to a blue cottage, called the Big House, Annabeth knocks on the door, then opens it. A centaur stands there, across from a man in a floral print shirt. They both look up. The centaur stares at me for a moment. Annabeth steps in, but I stay outside.

"Well, come in." Chiron prompts. "I don't bite."

"Unless you're mad," the man across from him says, taking a sip of soda. Something about him, the man, not the centaur, bothers me.

"Have I seen you before?" I ask suspiciously.

Something flashes across his face, before he denies. "No."

He's lying. But I don't press, just let him know I know by raising an eyebrow.

He frowns, but gestures that I should come in. "Hurry up. You're disturbing our game."

I take a step into the room. As soon as my feet leave the front porch, Annabeth gasps. I look up, because I notice that suddenly, the floor is flooded with green light. Above my head floats a green holographic image of the Greek letter Omega. I stare at it, then take a step out of the room. The symbol vanishes. I step back in, it reappears.

"Oh yeah," the man says, glancing up at the symbol above my head. "I think I have seen you before."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey people! I can safely say it's summer in half of the world- If I don't update at all for a week, it's because I'm on vacation. If that happens, I give you permission to send as many annoying reviews as you want, until I update. Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and Co.**

* * *

"Where have you seen me?" I ask, the helpless feeling of confusion sweeping over me. I'd just gotten the feeling that I'd seen him before, but I wasn't sure where.

"Um," the man looks uncomfortable. "Maybe I haven't seen you." Right. He'd just said that he had seen me before.

"Right." I frown, crossing my arms, "keep trying."

"I'm a god, you know," the man says, irritation crossing his face. "A little respect would be great."

"So?" I'm a little nonplussed. This man looked nothing like a god. More like a greasy tourist. I don't say this though. Maybe it's not such a great idea. Even if he isn't a god, I'm not taking any chances.

"So I could strike you dead!" His eyes dart to mine, and I know he's lying. Sometimes, I get that instinct, and I know when someone's lying to me or not. I glance at Chiron, and see him trying not to laugh. Annabeth looks amused.

"No you can't." For some reason, a retort comes to me. "You could turn me into a fancy wine, but not kill me."

For a moment, everyone is silent. I suddenly realize that I know who the man is. "You're Dionysus, aren't you?" I say.

"A little late, isn't it," he says. "What's your name?"

"Gracelyn Aelixandrea Winterblue." I tell him. "Just Gracelyn."

"What does the omega sign mean?" Annabeth asks, "I mean, I know it's the last letter of the alphabet, but who is her godly parent?" She sits down on a chair, but I don't step back into the room. The symbol kind of weirds me out.

"I have no idea." Chiron sighs, "it's not even Campfire and there's a problem. She'll still have to stay in the Hermes cabin."

"Why the Hermes cabin?" I ask, "I mean, this isn't Hermes' symbol, is it?" The one thing I really hate the most is when I don't know something, and everyone else does.

"No, but we don't know who's you are, so you'll just have to stay in the Hermes cabin." Really? There should be a cabin for kids with unknown parents.

"How come everyone else knows who there parent is, and I haven't?" I demand, "I'm fifteen! Aren't you supposed to be claimed earlier?"

"You could have been, but you forgot." When Annabeth says this, there's a flash of something else behind her eyes. I take note of it, but I don't press it. Sometimes it's better not to ask to many questions. I'm silent for a while, as Chiron and Dionysus continue their game. Then Annabeth gets up to show me the Hermes cabin.

I trail behind her, not speaking, and soaking in every detail of the camp. My swords already fell comfortable by my sides, as if I'd always used them.

It's strange, how I'm seemingly used to this camp, at least, how I'm not unused to this camp. That doesn't really make sense, does it? It's the feeling that everything just..._is. _Like this is the way it's supposed to be.

* * *

**Sorry for the short-ish chapter...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry, I've been working on other stories...**

* * *

When I enter the Hermes cabin, it's completely deserted, except for two boys who thought they were hidden, but weren't really do a good job. I could see them hiding behind the closet doors.

"YAH!" They jump out at us, and I don't flinch because I knew they were there, but Annabeth does, pulling out a dagger, then growling.

"These are the Stoll brothers, Connor and Travis." She says finally, sheathing her dagger and glowering at the howling boys. "They're idiots." She snapped at them. "This is your new cabin mate, Gracelyn. If I so much as hear about you giving her a hard time, I swear..." She shot them a last murderous look.

"Yeah, okay," one boy said, as Annabeth left. "I'm Connor."

"No you're not," I say, frowning. "You're Travis, right?"

"Right you are," Travis said, surprised. "How'd you know?"

"I can tell when you're lying." I tell him, even though, I just knew he was Travis- it was a thing that I knew sometimes.

"Yeah, sure," Connor said sarcastically. "C'mon, you can tell us if you have any oddities- we're used to them. You will be too, when you've been here for a while." Both of them waited, and for a second, I stared at them. Then I shook my head.

"You both are oddities in yourselves," I mutter as I push past them to the only empty bunk. "Hey, there are so many people here."

"We don't have cabins for all of the gods- I mean, there are a gazillion of them," Travis said, as if this was obvious, and eyed the bag I'd put down on the bed. "If you want to keep any of your belongings, take them with you everywhere. Just a heads up, you know."

I picked the bag up again and slung it over my shoulder. "What else is there to know?"

"You'll be fine," Travis said. I lifted an eyebrow, skeptical. There was bound to be at least one thing he hadn't told me.

"Ok, ok, the bathroom door is rigged- it doesn't open unless you kick the bottom of the frame." He sighed dramatically. "That's all I'll tell you. Honestly. You take all the fun out of things."

I emerged back into the sunlight- and immediately ran into Nico DiAngelo.

I have a bad habit for running into people when I really don't want to talk to anyone. Running into Nico was even more unfortunate- he was awkward, so now'd there be two awkward people trying not to be awkward. I don't know. Awkwardness is a strange thing.

"Sorry." Both of us said at the same time- we both moved in the same direction to pass each other, and then both moved in the opposite direction at the same time. (Don't you hate when that happens?)

"Um," he looked embarrassed. "Sorry." He stepped to my left, and I went right- and then he turned. I wasn't really expecting him to say anything other than "sorry" to me, so I was startled when he spoke.

"Are you new?"

"Yeah." I looked down- conscious that he was the son of Hades, but I wasn't really intimidated by him. Like I wasn't scared when the Stoll brothers jumped out at me. "Just got here."

"You must've been nearby," he said, "most kids don't get back until Campfire."

I was under the impression that he wasn't exactly a talkative type of person, but hey, here he was, actually starting a conversation. Better than I can do. "I lived in Manhattan."

"I lived in Maine, military school." He looked extremely self-conscious, absently running a hand through his hair. I felt like tuning around and walking in the opposite direction just to get some peace. Can't I get a moment of peace without someone coming after me or starting a conversation?

"Cool," I shrug. "I've never been to school before. Because I had to do other things when I didn't have a family." He looked at me oddly.

"You're wondering why I'm not an idiot" I said, "I lived in a library. Before hand. I've moved quite a bit. I think I've been up in Maine before." I stopped, surprised at myself. I don't usually say more than I really had to, but I was talking a lot now.

"Where're you headed?" He asked, glancing at the swords by my sides.

"Not really sure," I shrugged. "Sometimes I have to be by myself-I feel out of place in a bunch of people."

He nodded, like he knew what I was talking about. But did he really? It was difficult to imagine that anyone would be able to understand the feeling I get, like I'm out of place. He was the son of Hades, and I imagine that he'd gotten used to the kids here. They gave him his space, he gave them theirs. I'm just a misfit, not belonging anywhere.

But you know what? That conversation wasn't really awkward at all. Maybe I am getting the hang of fitting in. Or may just be Nico. I don't know. Like he's a fellow castaway. I kinda feel like everyone here was a misfit somewhere else.


	7. Chapter 7

I was eating dinner alone in the Pavillion, at the very end of the Hermes table, not really hungry. There had been so many strange things happening today.

"So what does the Omega sign mean?" Leo appears by my elbow. Annabeth must have told him.

I shrug. "I'm just the new kid. I don't know anything about these signs or whatever."

Mr. D (the crazy guy from the Big House) comes over, and I start. He beckons for me to stand, and I hesitate beforeswinging my legs over the side of the bench and standing. The god eyes my swords apprehensively as they swing by my side.

"Everyone, this is Gracelyn Aelixandrea Winterblue." He says, "she'll be staying in the Hermes cabin for now." Everyone glances at me expectantly.

I start to feel uncomfortable. "What?" My ears turn red, and Leo moves over so I can sit back down.

"How'd he get your name wrong?" Leo asks. "He always does."

"He didn't." I stare at my plate of pasta, aware that there was a lot of people staring at me.

"Are you done with that? Because you have to burn a part of it for your godly parent," Leo says.

"Are you kidding me?" I frown, "my parent obviously doesn't care enough to actually say who her or she is. I'm not about to give them something." Then I stare at my food. "But I'm not hungry. Do you want it?"

Leo grins and takes my plate. "If I die because I ate food that was meant for the gods, I'm blaming it on you." I just shake my head.

Afterwards, there is a game of Capture the Flag. I've never played Capture the Flag before, so Annabeth explains the rules to me, before we splint into teams and start to play.

"You guys are going to die," Leo says, as he crosses to the other team's side.

Annabeth shakes her head, and I follow her to our team. "Don't listen to him. We always win."

"It's because you're on our team," a boy who Annabeth said was Percy Jackson appears. I can instantly tell they like each other, but I don't say so. "Brain over brawn." He turns to me. "I'm Percy Jackson." He has a friendly smile on his face.

"Gracelyn." I say, giving him a fake smile in return. "Nice to meet you."

"We might be related, for all I know," he says, then turns away as the game starts.

Annabeth immediately starts strategizing, It's all, "do this," and, "go there," and everyone obeys her. She tells me to stay behind and guard the flag, with a few other campers I don't recognize.

"This will be pretty easy," one says, "but it's fun. Sometimes the other teams do get to our flag, and we have some action. But most are too busy guarding the flag to come and get ours.

The game is already boring. After fifteen minutes of standing there doing nothing, I slip off, when no one's looking.

"Hey! Where'd she go? Don't tell me she ran off. Should we go after her?"

"Nah, she's fine."

I keep going until their voices fade, and then follow the sound of combat from a clearing. There are demigods fighting, but I don't see the flag until I look up, in a tree.

Annabeth is climbing up, and a bigger girl stands at the very top. I'm sure that the girl could send Annabeth back down with a stomp of her heavy boots. I climb a different tree, then very carefully stand up and walk towards the closest treee. The branch dips dangerously, and I jump, reaching my arms out to grab a higher branch.

I keep moving closer to the tree with the flag, moving higher and higher. The other team isn't expecting an attack from a above, so when I am directly above the flag, no on sees me.

Annabeth does, and her eyes widen ever so slightly, but the other girl doesn't notice. I reach down, and grab the flag, then move away, and back to the ground as quickly as possible. I break into a sprint, and arrive at our home base. When the kids there see me, there is silence for a second. Then everyone starts cheering.

"We won!"

* * *

"Nobody's ever gotten the flag without listening to Annabeth," Leo says cheerfully as we sit at the campfire. "I think she's shell shocked."

"Right." I shake my head. "I wasn't doing anything, so I went to go find a place where I could do something."

"That's a terrible logic. I always go to the place where I have to do the least," Leo says, "the lazy way is always the best way to go."

People are singing an off-key version of the campfire song, and for some reason, this makes me smile. Everyone here is so relaxed, and I'm still all uptight and sectioned off from the rest. I'm not about to sing in public anyway.

"Nice job in Capture the Flag," Percy says. He's sitting next to Annabeth on my left. "I saw you up in the trees- I thought you were going to fall."

I'm about to reply, when I see Nico DiAngelo, sitting on the other side of the campfire. He's staring at my swords, and I suddenly feel uncomfortable. Why did everyone act as if my swords were cursed or something? Yes, I could use them very well for no reason, but that didn't mean that they were bad, per se.

I guess it's another weird thing about this camp.


	8. Chapter 8

The next day, I wake up really early. It's a little cold outside, and fog rises from the ground. I kick the bathroom door open, take a shower, and head outside with my swords. I'm curious to see what they can do and why everyone is so uneasy around them.

When I walk into the woods, I don't encounter any monsters. I find the clearing that I'd found earlier yesterday. I zip up my hoodie and pull the hood over my face. It's a little cold. I unsheathe my swords, watching their multi-colored aura swirl along the edge of their blades. My breath crystallizes into a pale orange puff of smoke in front of me, triggering my synesthesia when I reach out and wave my hand through it. For some reason, I can feel things more acutely.

My synesthesia usually appears through color or taste, most often color. Synesthesia is actually more common than you would think. I didn't know I had it, until I realized that no one else could tell that the letter "r" HAD to be orange, because that is what color it is. Most people with synesthesia don't realize they have it because they've had it since they were born, and no one knew that they had it.

My synesthesia is triggered by touch, sight, taste, sound, and smell. All the five senses. It's pretty severe, but I can deal with it, because that's how my world has always been. I'm used to it. I can see what you see, but underneath I can also see colors. Sometimes I can taste things too. These swords interested me, because only their blades are colored, but the rest of it was clear of synesthesia.

I give an experimental slash with my sword- first the left, then the right. The make a slight keening sound, and I realize it's because I'm moving them so fast. They feel comfortable in my hands, like they'd been meant to be used by me. But they kept getting in the way of each other. When I tried to use one, I had to hold the other one back.

Finally, I figure out how to use both at the same time- You have to hold one at a slight angle, and move them diagonally. There are a lot of ways to use them- There are two, and they increase my range of attack. For a while, I practice, and about two hours later, my arms start to ache.

The fog starts to clear, and the sun comes down in pale streams. I think it's going to rain a bit today. I walk slowly back to the Pavillioin for the breakfast, hoping that most of the people will be gone by the time I get there. There's only Percy, Annabeth, Leo, and Nico. Leo is wolfing down an enormous stack of pancakes- I can't believe he can eat so much I one sitting, I would probably throw up if I ate that much at once.

Percy and Annabeth are talking, and I get close enough to hear Annabeth call Percy "Seaweed Brain." I hide a smile- I don't really want them to know I'm listening in. Nico sits by himself- he's the only one on the Hades cabin- and I sit by myself at the Hermes table, at the end, closest to the fire.

My hood is still up. For some reason, after I do a lot of hard work, my synesthesia gets more acute. I use my hood to block out most of the triggers, and focus on my bagel. It helps to prevent sensory overload.

"Hey!" Leo says cheerfully, sitting next to me. He pulls my hood down, and for a moment I'm dazed by the color and strange tastes coming at my. I get nauseous, and for a moment, I'm afraid that I'll pass out. "What's going on?"

His voice brings me back to the difficult task at hand. Not throwing up or blacking out. I flip my hood back up, but the damage is already done. I don't answer for a second, while I take a deep breath. I force a false grin onto my face.

"Hey." I manage to get out, without sounding like I'm dying. "Nothing much."

"What are you going to do today? Did you get your schedule?"

"My what?" Is this something else I forgot to do? "No."

"Ever since last week, Chiron has been a little over the top about organizing things." Leo shrugs, "I don't know. You'll need some personal training for those swords of yours." He glances quickly down at my swords, and I feel a flash of annoyance.

"What's wrong with my swords?" I ask, barely managing to keep my irritation down. "People keep treating it like it's cursed or something."

"Yeah, well, they kind of are," he laughs nervously and runs a hand through his hair. "They're from - ah - a dead camper."

"Really?" I'm interested. Why would just a death make people nervous about the swords?

"Yeah. Apparently, they weren't supposed to be a pair, but there was a camper who had one, and there was a rouge camper who had another- they were friends, but..." he trails off.

"A rouge camper?" I ask, lifting an eyebrow.

"He was a little out there. His name was Jack Turner. He decided to hand the camp over to these creepy monsters that possessed other people, who worked for this Titan Lady name Gaea, who wanted to kill us all and open the Doors of Death. She didn't succeed because we managed to lull her back to sleep.

"Anyway, this guy's friend was a really good kid, I think his name was Sawyer or something, and he thought that he might be able to talk his friend out of killing us all," Leo frowns.

"Jack was possessed by and eidolon, and Sawyer didn't know. Both of them ended up dying, because Jack killed Sawyer, and he felt really guilty. But there's a rumor that they didn't die, and just ran away. We never found a body, just their swords with blood on them."

"Is that why every hates these swords?"

"Yeah. They both probably killed a camper."

"So you don't believe in the rumors?" I'm a little skeptical, just because it sounded like he was really creeped out by the fact that Jack and Sawyer could still be alive.

"Nah," Leo waves the question off. "Probably just a rumor started to scare the newbies." For some reason I think he's lying, but I don't ask anything else.

"So," I change the subject, "where do I get this schedule you were talking about?" Leo looks relieved, and leads me off to the Big House.

* * *

**Hey! Yeah, this is a little AU, forgive me if the ages (15) of all the characters are off. I know that Percy and Annabeth are older than Leo and Gracelyn, but I'm not sure how old Nico is. He's older than everyone, but he seems younger...? If you know, feel free to tell me in the reviews you are going to post.**

You are going to post a review...


	9. Chapter 9

I get my schedule, a flimsy piece of paper with a chart printed onto it. I glance down at it. There is a huge chunk of "free time" in the afternoon, and right before dinner. The other items say, "breakfast, training, lunch, dinner, campfire, and Capture the flag." That's all there is.

"Who's going to train you?" Leo says, looking over my shoulder as we walk down to the training fields. He glances up, and looks around. "I've never heard of someone who could use two swords at the same time."

"I don't think anyone will," I guess. I don't see anyone who is waiting for me, or anyone with two swords. "There isn't anyone here." Which is true- the entire field is deserted, and no one is there.

"That's actually really weird," Leo frowns. "Usually there are a lot of people here. Unless there's something bad going on somewhere else." We both look around at the same time. Percy Jackson is sprinting towards us, panic just evident on his face.

"Have you seen Annabeth? Or anyone else, for that matter?" He stops by us, panting. "I was stepping out of my cabin, and no one was here. I mean, they all just vanished."

"Chiron and Mr. D too?" Leo asks, confused. Percy shrugs, which I took to mean, _yeah._

"Why?" I ask, not confused as much as disturbed. How could the entire population of the camp just be... gone? "Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"No," Leo and Percy say at the same time. We all are unsure of what to do next, when there's a loud crack from behind us, in the woods. Leo jumps, sparks popping in his hair, as all of us whip around. A tree has fallen, a perfect line splitting it down the middle. Cautiously, we all move closer to the tree, and start as something emerges from the shadows. It's a very large cat.

It's not a tiger, or a lion, it looks like a panther, or a snow leopard. It's coat is white, but seems to be underlain with blues, indigos, and black. It's eyes are warm amber, wide, at once friendly and fierce. The eyes are so intelligent, I swear the cat can talk. It's tail is tipped with black, and is waving slightly as it looks at us.

Percy pulls out his sword. "Wait!" For some reason, I step closer to the cat, and it tenses.

"Gracelyn, I'm not so sure that's a good idea." Leo calls out, and the cat's ears twitch. "Even if you like cats."

I ignore him, and the cat takes a slow step forwards. I do too, and now my toes are up against the fallen tree, and the cat stands slightly above me.

"What's your name?" I ask, on impulse, and immediately I feel like an idiot. But then, the cat looks straight in my eyes and I hear a voice, low, and purring out two words.

_Pangur Ban_

I glance back at the two boys, who are still looking nervous. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Percy looks concerned, "come on, he might be doing something to you."

"He just told me his name." I say bluntly, and they stare at me like I'm insane. I probably am, the way this was going. Talking to cats. If coming to this camp doesn't make me automatically a weirdo, I'm sure this will.

"Pangur Ban." I say the name, and something comes back to me. About an old Irish monk, and a poem he wrote. "Isn't that from a poem? I and Pangur Ban my cat / 'Tis a like task we are at."

The cat purrs as I continue to recite the poem, tail twitching, eyes staring into mine. I don't talk loud enough for Percy and Leo to hear, just to the cat, feeling foolish again.

"Hunting mice is his delight / Hunting words I sit all night. / Better far than praise of men / 'Tis to sit with book and pen; / Pangur bears me no ill-will, / He too plies his simple skill."

As I speak, I feel like the cat knows what I'm saying, that he recognizes the poem. It's one of my favorites- I love how the words seem to click and match together.

_Messe ocus Pangur bán,_  
_cechtar nathar fria saindán;_  
_bíth a menma-sam fri seilgg,_  
_mu menma céin im saincheirdd_

_Caraim-se fós, ferr cach clú,_  
_oc mu lebrán léir ingnu;_  
_ní foirmtech frimm Pangur bán,_  
_caraid cesin a maccdán._

I jump as the cat leaps to the ground and circles me. Leo is saying something, but all I can hear is the cat's voice.

_Abair leis an duine lasair go stoptar suas._

_Tell the flame one to calm himself._

"Shut up, Leo," I say, in a rough translation. Okay, I didn't really translate, I just knew what he meant. Leo shuts up.

"This is Pangur Ban," I tell them, as the cat speaks in my mind, "he's going to help us get the camp back."


	10. Chapter 10

Pangur Ban stares down Percy and Leo, and then leaves them alone, as if he had marked them as safe. Both boys keep shooting me dubious looks.

"Are you sure about this?" Leo asks, and I nod. I don't know what it is about Pangur Ban, but he brings this sense of security, like I know that I can trust him. Obviously, my companions don't agree.

"Where is he taking us, then?" Percy is a little irritated, and I assume that it's because he's used to being the leader.

I turn to Pangur Ban, who is walking on my left, as we circle the camp looking for anyone else who could still be here.

"Cá bhfuil tú ag dul a chur chugainn?" When talking to Pangur Ban, I mysteriously talk in a different language- one I can't recognize. Percy says that some demigods talk in another language because it goes with their parent.

For example, kids of Aphrodite speak French. Maybe this is a clue to who my parent is- except, none of us recognize it. I have a suspicion that it could be Irish, because Pangur Ban is from and Irish poem, but who knows?

_Beidh mé ag insint duit in am, leanbh_

_I will tell you in time, little one._

He has a great DJ voice, I think to myself, if anyone else can hearhim. "Bheadh mo chairde buíochas a fhios." I persist- "My friends want to know."

_Tá sé aisteach conas atá tú daoine chomh luath a déanamh carad glaoch. Sílim go bhfuil "allies" téarma níos oiriúnaí don ócáid._

_It is strange how you humans are so quick to call friends. I think "allies" is a more suitable term for the occasion._

That's another thing about Pangur. The only time he's given me a straight answer was when I asked him his name. I think it has something to do with age- from what I'd been told, prophecies are never straightforward either. The gods certainly weren't straightforward. I was beginning to doubt the existence of them. An entire camp, just for they're children, and I'd never heard of them appearing at Camp Halfblood? It didn't make sense to me.

I don't know what to say to Percy and Leo. "Cad a dhéanfaidh mé a rá Perseus agus Leo?" I ask. What do I tell Percy and Leo?

_Má tá siad fíor do chairde, beidh siad a thuiscint._

_If they are truly your friends, they will understand._

Sighing, I turn to the waiting boys, who read my expression and both assume varying degrees of bemusement and irritation. Pangur has refused to talk to them, why I don't know. It's making me look like a lunatic. The boys are consumed with the task of finding the camp. I'm not.

_Níl sé do tasc a aimsiú ar an champa. Tá tú cosán éagsúla a ghlacadh._

_It is not your task to find the camp. You have a different path to take._

I swear, he read my mind. Or, he's in my mind. I don't know. At least the other two can see him. I have other questions on my mind. What happened to Jack and Sawyer, the previous owners of my swords? Who's my godly parent? Why is this cat here? How come I can talk to him? Am I going insane?

"Hey!" I turn towards the cabins of the Big Three, and then sprint over to Percy, who was knelt beside a figure on the ground. "Guys!" As I near, I can make out the face of Nico DiAngelo. I mean, nobody's got a face as pale as he does. I wonder if he gets sunburned easily. Yeah, I get distracted easily. Sorry.

I join Percy by Nico, and Leo comes over quickly. He's still alive; his chest rises and falls very slightly. So I do the first thing I'd learned, how to make some one take a deep breath and wake up at the same time. I slap him in the face. No hard feelings.

He sits up with a jolt, and scrambles backwards, fumbling for his sword.

"Whoa," Leo says, hands up. "It's us. Don't kill. Or seriously injure."

Nico lowers the blade, hands shaking. "Where is she?" He looks around wildly, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Where'd she go?"

"Who?" Percy asks, and Nico looks over at him, then stands. We follow suit. "Is it..."

"Gaea." Nico glances down at Pangur, frowns. "Who's he?"

I'm surprised he knows that Pangur is a he. I had to tell Percy and Leo before they knew. "This is Pangur Ban. He appeared after the entire camp vanished."

"The camp did what?" Nico's low voice cracks, as if this is the first time he's been surprised in his life.

"Everyone else disappeared, except us. We're looking for more people who are still here." Percy explains, and Nico eyes Pangur.

_Cén fáth go bhfuil tú eagla, leanbh an bháis?_

_Why are you afraid, child of death?_

Nico's eyes widen, and I can tell that he heard the voice of Pangur too. I'm glad, although you can't exactly compare yourself to a child of Hades to prove your sanity. He glances at Pangur.

"I'm not scared." Nico says, but instead, he says, "Níl mé scanraithe." He blinks, confused.

"Not you too," Leo says, only half joking. "Gracelyn has been going on in this language ever since this cat showed up."

"Why did the camp disappear?" I ask, Nico, changing the subject. "Was it Gaea?"

"You can only guess," he says, which means, to me, that it was Gaea. Why else would everyone disappear? My eyes land on Pangur, and then shift away uncomfortably. Pangur appeared when the camp vanished.

"Let's keep looking." Percy says, "We'll split up. If anyone disappears, yell."

I grin, as we part. Pangur follows me, and I circle the cabins, then head for the Pavillion.

I find someone- tied to a Greek column. As if he was going to be taken, but he wanted to resist. Like the sailors and sirens from the stories, or the Pied Piper came to visit. He's leaning towards the Arena, like he was being pulled in that area, and it looked like his arm was broken.

I untie him and pull him free, giving him the same wake up treatment as I'd given Nico. "Who are you?"

He sits up, groaning as his arm dangles uselessly by his side. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell us," I frown, "'''you don't remember?"

"I remember my friends stopping to tie me up, and everyone was running towards the Arena. I wanted to go too, but I can't remember why. I was mad at him, but then..." A crease forms on his forehead.

"Then?" I prompt, but he can't remember anything else. I help him up, and find the rest of the demigods that were still here.

"Who's the evil twin?" Leo grins, and I'm confused for a moment, then turn to look at the guy I was helping to wrap his arm up. He looks a lot like me. It's a little freaky.

"He is, because I'm not," I say, shaking the strange coincidence off. He's a few years older than me. "What's your name?"

"Greyson."

I frown. "Who ever decided to name you and me has a terrible sense of humor," I complain. "I'm Gracelyn."

Greyson laughs, then winces as I pull the bandage tight and tie it off. "That's really weird. Maybe we're related? I'm part of the Hermes cabin."

"Me too, but it's just because I'm not claimed yet."

"Same here." Greyson looks away. "It's been years now. But Chiron said not to say anything because of this guy named Luke Castellan or something."

So we could still be related. Great. Another thing I have to figure out.

Why was Pangur Ban here?

Who is my godly parent?

Am I related to Greyson?

Why can I talk to Pangur?

How did the whole camp vanish?

Am I going insane?


End file.
